Pakistan wants police to probe suspects over attack in India

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani authorities registered a case against "unknown persons" in connection with last month's attack on an Indian air base in which seven Indian soldiers and all six attackers were killed, an official said Friday.

Shortly after the Jan. 2 attack, Indian investigators had claimed that phone intercepts suggested that the gunmen in the assault came from Pakistan. On Saturday, a senior official at Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the latest move may pave the way for a resumption of talks between Pakistan and India, which were delayed by New Delhi at the time.

A senior Pakistani investigator said the case against 'unknown persons" was registered on Friday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Rana Sanaullah, a provincial minister, told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore that the case was registered based on information provided by India.

Saturday's announcement came weeks after Pakistan said it has arrested "several individuals" from the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group believed to be linked to the air base assault. Pakistan later took the group's head, Maulana Masood Azhar, into custody for questioning.

India has long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to militants who have staged cross-border attacks and battled Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, which is divided between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety.

Pakistani officials insist that the attack was aimed at derailing the Pakistan-India peace process.